"Lord Madara, are you sure it's okay for Obito to act on his own?"
As Obito and his group moved into action, Madara Uchiha had already quietly arrived in the Land of Water. Black Zetsu followed closely behind him, his expression dark and uneasy as he asked.
"That guy dares to act so recklessly. He—"
"Hmph, let him have his fun. It's no big deal," Madara remained calm, as if he didn't care about the matter at all. "Does he really think I don't know his little schemes?"
Madara was fully aware of what Obito intended, but he simply didn't bother to intervene. Betrayal was nothing new to him. Besides, Madara had his own plans.
"Let Obito and those fools serve as bait. It's a chance to see how far they can go."
"But isn't this too risky?" Zetsu's inner turmoil was almost palpable, his thoughts twisted in frustration. Madara was far too arrogant, and this was no longer the past—the Ōtsutsuki clan had entered the picture. "After all, Ōtsutsuki Minamoto might interfere with the Ten-Tails..."
"The Ten-Tails is indeed troublesome, but the Rinnegan belongs to me," Madara snorted coldly, his expression turning grim. "As long as I seize the right moment to reclaim the Ten-Tails, and have you use Rinne Rebirth, everything will fall into place."
"But—"
"Right now, the most important thing is to restore the Ten-Tails' power and locate the Six Paths Sage's brother's relics. Only then can we better prepare for what's to come!"
"...Understood."
Zetsu had no desire to argue further. Those so-called relics were things he had fabricated himself. If he had a solution, he wouldn't still be worrying about his mother's predicament. He was realizing more and more that the Uchiha were utterly unreliable!
Obito's reckless actions might align with his plans, but they also risked endangering his mother. Madara's arrogance, believing everything was under his control, only made matters worse. At this rate, disaster was inevitable!
"It seems I'll need to handle these new relics carefully. I can't let them mess things up... and I absolutely can't allow Mother to be released!"
Nearby, Kakuzu casually snapped the neck of a ninja, then sneered at the group of enemies before him.
"How rare—Konohagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure's forces united. Back in the day, you fought each other fiercely."
"Where's that so-called Konoha Kappa? Why isn't he here? Bring him out!" Hidan grumbled irritably, swinging his massive scythe and shouting loudly. "That guy still owes me an answer! Hurry up and bring him out!"
"Are all Akatsuki members insane?" Though the ninjas from the three villages didn't speak, they couldn't help but curse inwardly at Hidan's words. Still, despite their thoughts, they remained vigilant, fully aware of the danger posed by these two individuals.
"Hey, are you guys out of people?" Hidan taunted nonchalantly, but before he could finish, a kunai suddenly flew toward him. Moments later, a golden figure appeared beside them.
"Rasengan!"
Boom—With a muffled explosion, the ground beneath their feet shattered!
"Flying Thunder God Technique."
Yet neither of them was harmed—one was immortal, the other resurrected via Impure World Reincarnation. They quickly leapt back, their gazes cautious, but upon seeing the attacker's face, they relaxed slightly.
"Not Kitagawa Minamoto. Thank goodness..."
"You two bastards, this time I won't let you get away!" Naruto knew his attack wouldn't kill them, and he was already preparing for another round.
"Damn it, that hurt! Hey, are you the Nine-Tails brat?" Hidan twisted his neck, allowing his grotesquely distorted body to recover quickly. He looked at Naruto, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "I've heard Kitagawa Minamoto always keeps you around. You must know quite a bit, don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Naruto was puzzled, while Kakuzu shook his head—he knew Hidan's antics all too well.
"Do you know that Konoha Kappa guy? The one in the green tights?" Hidan didn't care about anything else, asking excitedly. This left Naruto stunned.
"Guy-sensei? Of course I know him. He's mentioned you before—the guy who uses poison."
"That's good!" Before Naruto could finish, Hidan eagerly interrupted. "Then you must know something about them, right?"
"?"
"Do you know who the weakest among them is?"
"..."
Naruto stared at Hidan in silence, his face turning red. The next moment, his entire body erupted with chakra once again!
"I'll kill you, you bastard!"
"?"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha and Sasori were relentlessly attacking. Itachi's heart was a void of silence—ever since his mission in Konohagakure, he had been in a state of emotional collapse. He vaguely understood why his father, who had once supported him, had suddenly turned against him. But understanding was one thing; acceptance was another.
Now, he felt as if the entire world had abandoned him. The village didn't recognize him, his family "misunderstood" him, and Sasuke hated him.
"Why has it come to this..."
Itachi fought mechanically, while Sasori burned with rage.
"Bring out Sakumo Hatake and Chiyo! You bastards all deserve to die!"
Sasori's fury had reached its peak—the events in the Land of Wind were something he couldn't forgive. His grandmother, teaming up with the man who had killed his parents, to fight against him? Even though he knew this was likely orchestrated by Konohagakure, the humiliation was unbearable!
"Be careful!"
"Watch out for the puppets and Fire Release techniques!"
"Damn these guys..."
Itachi and Sasori's attacks were overwhelming for the ninjas from the three villages, especially the endless barrage of puppet strikes. One person seemed capable of holding off hundreds, and with Itachi added to the mix, the difficulty was immense.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Seeing more and more ninjas gathering, Sasori's face twisted into a cruel smile. He immediately manipulated the Third Kazekage puppet to form seals. Countless black iron particles transformed into senbon, raining down upon the ninjas like a storm. The dense, rain-like attack left the ninjas with no room to evade!
"We're doomed..."
The ninjas' faces paled, but just as the iron sand senbon were about to hit them—
Buzz—A massive, purple chakra figure appeared in front of them!
Clang, clang, clang—The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously. Looking closer, a towering Susanoo stood before them!
"We're saved..."
The ninjas breathed a sigh of relief, while Itachi's lifeless eyes lit up slightly.
"Sasuke!"
"Uchiha Sasuke, huh? You were involved last time too!" Sasori gritted his teeth, but Sasuke didn't even glance at them.
"Leave this place quickly. I'll handle this." He turned to the ninjas and spoke softly before turning back to face Itachi and Sasori. "I thought it might be someone else, but it turns out it's you two."
Sasuke's chakra surged, his eyes cold and indifferent as he faced them. "But this is perfect. I'll deal with you both at once, so you won't cause trouble again."
"Damn it! Who do you think you are?!" Sasori's anger intensified, but Itachi remained silent. Seeing Sasuke's gaze, Itachi suddenly felt as if all his efforts had been in vain.
"Why has it come to this..."
Naruto and Sasuke had joined the battle, Mei Terumi went off to confront Jūzō Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki, and even Deidara reluctantly went outside to assess the situation.
Inside the building, Obito stood trembling as he stared at the girl before him. His body felt paralyzed, unable to move.
"You're... Obito?"
The voice, soft and familiar, still haunted his dreams after all these years.
"Impossible... How could this happen?!"
Seeing the girl before him, hearing her voice, he was filled with confusion and unease.
"Didn't Orochimaru say Rin's soul couldn't be found..."
Obito wasn't a fool. When the Edo Tensei resurrections began, he had realized that Konoha might try to revive Rin. He had made preparations, though he didn't want Rin to wake up and face this ugly world again. But he also couldn't let Konoha have her, couldn't let them "dishonor" Rin in such a way!
So he had sought out Orochimaru, who after several attempts, had told him:
"Konoha hasn't used her, and without the interference of any technique, I can't locate her either. Perhaps there's another reason."
Orochimaru's words still echoed in his mind. He had tried himself, with the same results, which only confirmed one thing in his mind: his "evolution" was being guided by Rin!
If not for Rin's encouragement, how could he have come this far? If not for Rin's constant help, how could he have gained the ability to "evolve"?
But now, faced with this reality before his eyes, how could he accept it?!
"It's fake, all of it!" Obito lost control, letting out a roar. His Susanoo grew larger, and his eyes turned increasingly red. "Rin's soul couldn't be found because she's been with me all along, encouraging me. How could this be happening?!"
"Obito..." Rin Nohara looked at what Obito had become, momentarily lost in confusion. This truly wasn't the Obito she remembered.
"Obito!" But she bit her lip, gathering her courage to call out loudly. "Have you forgotten our promise? Didn't you say you wanted to become Hokage?! I promised I'd always watch over you, but you... Why, Obito? Why?!"
Obito's mind was in turmoil. Why had things turned out this way? Why was Rin appearing before him, and in this manner? Like Itachi before him, he was lost in a maze of confusion and fear.
In this moment, he couldn't be certain if what he was seeing was real. He didn't even know if what he had been doing was right. He had dreamed of creating a peaceful world, a world where Rin's tragedy would never be repeated, a world where everyone existed together...
But now, as everyone appeared in that "false world," he felt as if he himself had become the falsehood!
"Was I wrong? Was it wrong to want to create a peaceful world? Was it wrong to hope that Rin's tragedy would never be repeated, that such sorrowful events would never happen again? Has everything I've done been a mistake? Why has it come to this?!"
Obito was completely lost, leaving Pain and Kimimaro dumbfounded.
"What's wrong with this guy?" They were now surrounded, and Obito was their only means of escape! Though they were prepared for the possibility of facing Kitagawa Minamoto's attacks, they still didn't want to be trapped if there was a chance to leave. But now Obito had turned into this state—he was endangering them all!
"As I've said before..." At that moment, Kitagawa Minamoto slowly walked forward, his body already enveloped in Sage power. This sight immediately put Pain and Kimimaro on high alert. They felt like they were facing a primordial beast—just watching Minamoto approach filled them with overwhelming pressure!
But Minamoto didn't attack. He calmly looked at the three Akatsuki members, then shook his head.
"Don't substitute reality with illusion. Why won't you believe that?"
"So this is the place," Outside the town, Momoshiki and Kinshiki had quietly descended. They floated in the sky, silently watching the ninjas battling below, smiles spreading across their faces.
"How interesting. A swarm of ants wielding chakra, fighting amongst themselves. Quite a rare sight."
"Lord Momoshiki, I sense the Ten-Tails' power over there," Kinshiki's Byakugan scanned the battlefield, quickly locking onto Naruto's position. "Though it's not complete, its power is considerable. My lord, shall we retrieve it?"
"Of course we'll retrieve it, but before that..." Momoshiki smirked coldly, turning to face the sky above them before speaking softly. "Since you've already arrived, why not show yourself, my kinsman?"
"Quite perceptive," As soon as his words fell, a voice echoed through the sky, causing Kinshiki's eyes to widen. He hadn't even detected that someone was watching them!
Chakra slowly gathered in the sky, and then a white figure silently appeared before them.
"It's you?" Seeing the figure and sensing that unique chakra, Momoshiki raised an eyebrow. Interest flickered across his features, and his smile widened.
"Oh? You know me?" Kitagawa Minamoto looked at the two with mild surprise.
"You can call me Momoshiki, and this is Kinshiki. I've sensed your chakra before," Momoshiki shook his head, smiling as he spoke. "Not just yours, but also Isshiki's and Urashiki's. Strangely, they've all disappeared."
He paused briefly, then continued softly. "Could you tell me who you are, and perhaps explain what exactly has happened here?"
"You can call me Minamoto-shiki," Kitagawa Minamoto sighed, then slowly began. "As for all of this, it begins with Isshiki and Kaguya's arrival on this planet..." ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨ patreon.com/GoldenLong]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━